Michael Bennett ready to focus on football

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Michael Bennett made his first appearance on the practice field, and it proved to be a sanctuary from his recent legal troubles.

After skipping the team's voluntary OTAs, Bennett was on the field for the first day of the Eagles' mandatory mini camp on Tuesday. Most of the questions for Bennett after the session were about football, but the subject of his legal troubles was brought up toward the end of his meeting with reporters after practice.

"I just let my lawyers handle it and do what I need to do on the field," said Bennett. "For me, being here is all about football. It's trying to be a great player, be a great teammate and be a great citizen."

Bennett is facing a felony charge from an alleged incident that reportedly occurred after Super Bowl LI. The charge is injury of an elderly, but Bennett is maintaining his innocence.

"I'm just a father and a husband who is trying to do the right thing," he said. "The most important thing for me is to try and be a great human being. It's all I can do."

Bennett has been welcomed by his new teammates after a stellar sting in Seattle. Bennett could easily see why there is so much talk of a strong culture with the Eagles and is looking forward to becoming a part of it as he begins work with his new team.

"The culture is just one of a kind," he added. "We have a lot of great coaches, but then the coach is all about family and about team. You see it all through the organization. Everybody is really about the team and you have that fan base."

Head coach Doug Pederson was never concerned about Bennett falling behind when he did not participate in OTAs. He said Bennett is right on schedule and believes his versatility will be a key factor in his ability to contribute to the defense.

"He can play inside as well," Pederson noted. "He can play at tackle. He can play defensive end. It'll be exciting. Everybody's playing right now. We don't have necessarily a depth chart. All the guys are rotating in and out, so that's one of the things we have tried to do this spring is keep everybody in the mix. I'm sure he'll be inside and outside this week a little bit, just getting a feel for it."

Bennett is no doubt hoping his legal troubles will soon fade away. For at least one day, Bennett was able to focus on football and enjoy his first day on the practice field in an Eagles uniform.

"There are so many great people and new teammates," he said. "I'm getting used to the organization and getting used to the city. It's just fun. When you come to a new team that's in a championship mode, it's a great bonding time."